Overview
Dreaming of more getaways without draining your wallet? Southwest is making it easier than ever with the chance to earn up to 180,000 Rapid Rewards points through their business credit card offers.
Right now the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is offering 120,000 points, and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is offering 60,000 points after meeting the minimum spend requirements.
That’s a serious stash of points. Enough to cover multiple trips, unlock flexibility in your travel plans, and maybe even get you closer to the coveted Companion Pass. The best part? You don’t need insider status or years of loyalty; just a smart strategy and a little bit of timing.
Let’s take a deeper look at the bonus on these Southwest Airlines business cards, as well as ongoing benefits to see if either card is the right fit for you.
- Best for: Southwest Points Earning
- Annual Fee: $299
- APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
- Reward Rate: 2X - 4X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
120,000 Bonus Points
Offer Details:
Earn 120,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is the airline’s top-tier card geared towards those who frequently travel with Southwest Airlines, however it’s easy for someone who flies the carrier just a few times a year to get a ton of value. With this card, you can earn accelerated points on every purchase, gain access to exclusive travel perks, and enjoy comprehensive travel protections.
Reward details
4X pts on Southwest® purchases.
Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
Earn 2X points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Large intro bonus
Enjoy four Upgraded Boardings per year—you’ll get the earliest access to seats and overhead bins on eligible flight segments. Worth up to $30 each, or $120 total. (Benefit expires on 12/31/25)
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You’ll get 9,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $125 towards Southwest flights.
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Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS fee credit
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Lost luggage and trip protection benefits
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No foreign transaction fees.
Cons
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Southwest points cannot be transferred or used with any airline partners.
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No statement credits.
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$299 annual fee
Terms Apply
How to Earn the Welcome Bonuses
You might be surprised at how quickly you can meet the Southwest Airlines business card’s spending requirements. Simply by putting away any other credit or debit cards you regularly use and funneling all of your spending onto your new card for a few months, you’ll have a large bucket of points at your disposal for free travel.
As mentioned in the intro, with the Premier Business card, you’ll earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. With the Performance Business card, you’ll earn 120,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
As always, you should never spend more money than you otherwise would simply to earn travel rewards. Don’t let a shiny new welcome bonus enchant you into financial irresponsibility.
How to Use the Welcome Bonuses
Southwest points work differently from most other airline miles. The value you get from them doesn’t really vary depending on the route and seat class you book. That’s because award prices are directly proportional to Southwest’s cash prices. If Southwest is having a sale, you can expect both cash and points prices to be low. This also means that there are no blackout dates, so if a seat is available to purchase, you’ll be able to use points to cover the cost.
The value of Southwest points consistently hovers around 1.4-1.5 cents each, meaning you can expect this 120,000-point bonus to be worth between $1,680 and $1,800 for Southwest flights.
Remember: Southwest points never expire, so there’s no hurry to redeem them. Even if you don’t plan on flying Southwest anytime soon and ditch this Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards card after a year, you’ll still be able to use the bonus points towards free flights years later.
You’ll have plenty of ways to use your points as Southwest flies to over 100 destinations across the US and North America, including 11 international destinations, like Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba, The Bahamas, Jamaica, and more.
Earning the Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most coveted benefits in the travel rewards community and allows a designated companion to fly with the pass holder for free (excluding taxes and fees) on both paid and award flights for the remainder of the year in which the pass is earned and the entire following year.
To qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, a customer must either fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year (these points can be earned from the credit card)—after earning the bonus on a Southwest business card, you’ll qualify for the Companion Pass for the remainder of 2024 and all of 2025.
The Companion Pass could effectively double the value of the card’s bonus. Essentially, the 120,000-point bonus from the Performance Business could be worth anywhere from $2,240 to $2,400 when paired with the Companion Pass since you’re getting two flights for the price of one.
Do You Qualify?
Business owners of any kind qualify for the card, whether you own a flower shop, an online company, or are a freelance writer, Uber driver, dog sitter, tutor, or sell items on eBay, Etsy, etc.
A small business doesn’t even have to be your main job. As long as you’ve got a for-profit venture, you qualify for the card, though whether you’re approved will depend on additional factors like your credit score.
You also don’t need to have an EIN or be an LLC. You’ll be able to fill out a business card application with the same information as a personal credit card. When the application asks you to enter the legal business structure, you have the option to choose sole proprietorship. And when it asks for the Tax ID type, you have the option to enter your social security number.
Are these Card Good After the Bonus?
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is decent at earning Southwest points for everyday spending. Here’s what you’ll get:
Earn 3X points on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per year
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, which has a higher annual fee of $299, offers the following rewards on purchases:
Earn 4X pts on Southwest® purchases.
Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
Earn 2X points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
This isn’t a bad mix of bonus categories, but not necessarily outstanding. Still, these Southwest Airlines business cards are a good option if you want to earn Southwest points on an ongoing basis and pay a modest annual fee.
Ongoing benefits
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card has a number of benefits you’ll receive as long as you hold the card. Here’s what you’ll get:
2 EarlyBird Check-In® per year—Get automatic check-in to enjoy a better boarding position and earlier access to overhead bins.
6,000 anniversary points—You’ll get 6,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $80 towards Southwest flights.
Lost luggage and trip protection benefits
No foreign transaction fees
If you fly Southwest at least once a year, you shouldn’t have trouble using the two EarlyBird Check-In passes and 6,000 anniversary points. The value of those two perks more than covers the $99 annual fee.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has a slew of perks you’ll enjoy as a cardholder. Here’s what you’ll get:
First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
Four Upgraded Boardings per year—You’ll get the earliest access to seats and overhead bins on eligible flight segments. Worth up to $30 each, or $120 total.
9,000 anniversary points—You’ll get 9,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $125 towards Southwest flights.
Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
Up to 365 inflight WiFi Credits per year—inflight WiFi costs $8 per flight, so this could amount to a huge savings if you fly Southwest somewhat frequently.
$500 fee credit for points transfers per year
Lost luggage and trip protection benefits
No foreign transaction fees
For those who fly Southwest a few times a year, it should be easy to use the four Upgraded Boardings, the 9,000 anniversary points and the inflight WiFi credits. The value of those three perks more than covers the $299 annual fee.
- Best for: Steady Southwest points
- Annual Fee: $149
- APR: 19.74% - 28.24% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 3X
- Recommended Credit: 740-850
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
60,000 Bonus Points
Offer Details:
60,000 Bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the airline’s middle-tier business card and offers perks for flying Southwest, plus benefits like travel protections and no foreign transaction fees. It’s easy to maximize for those who fly Southwest just once a year, as benefits like the 6,000 anniversary points and two EarlyBird Check-In® per year more than cover the annual fee (Benefit expires on 12/31/25).
Reward details
Earn 3X points on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per year
Pros & Cons
Pros
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Earn 3X pts on Southwest® purchases
First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
2 EarlyBird Check-In® per year—Get automatic check-in to enjoy a better boarding position and earlier access to overhead bins. (Benefit expires on 12/31/25)
You’ll get 6,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $80 towards Southwest flights.
Lost luggage and trip protection benefits.
No foreign transaction fees.
Cons
Southwest points cannot be transferred or used with any airline partners.
No statement credits
Terms Apply
The Point
The bonus on these Southwest Airlines business cards combined is worth at least $1,900 towards travel on Southwest and can earn you the Southwest Companion Pass, which could effectively double the value of the offer and allow you to take a friend or family member with you on every flight through the end of 2025. Plus, the card offers perks that can upgrade your experience on the airline and help cover the modest annual fee.
If you’re purely focused on the bonus, go with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card since its current bonus is twice as much as the Premier card.
And remember, it’s easier than you think to qualify for a business credit card!
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
